How to get lipedema surgery covered by health insurance

Step by step for submitting pre-authorization and reimbursement claim to your health insurance provider in the United States

Other articles in this series
Should I have liposuction for lipedema?
How to choose the right plastic surgeon?
How to prepare for liposuction?

When I was diagnosed with lipedema, one of the first things my vascular doctor told me was that the only way to treat the disease effectively was liposuction, but he immediately cautioned me: “But insurance doesn’t cover it.” And he was right, most insurance companies and plans don’t cover the surgery because they still see it as either cosmetic or experimental.

However, a few insurance companies in the United States, mainly Anthem and Aetna, have been covering a few surgeries in the last year or so (2019/2020) in some states, so it’s definitely worth a shot.

In California, where I live, there was a class-action lawsuit against Anthem, which is not yet finalized but it’s lead Anthem to change their policy for lipedema surgeries.

Another thing that changed recently was that the WHO has finally recognized lipedema as a disease and…